No firm date for a grand reopening was given on Friday, but late last year Mr. Iksanov said it would be in 2008. The Bolshoi, which comprises both an opera company and a ballet company, will be leaving its historic home for the first time in 150 years.

Russian revelationWhen Moscow's Bolshoi theatre closed for three years' renovation in July, it was the end of an era. During its last 10 days, the photographer Gleb Kosorukov was given exclusive access behind the curtain before it finally came down. By Mark Franchetti for The Sunday Times.

During its heyday it was Russia's cultural pride and joy. Wagner held concerts in its magnificent gilded auditorium, and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake premiered on its stage in 1877. Rudolf Nureyev danced there and ordinary Russians came to marvel at the majestic eight-columned portico with its statue of Apollo, the god of the arts, in his horse-drawn chariot.

The Bolshoi Theatre, one of Moscow's most prominent landmarks, is a vast building site. Steel props hold up its cracked Greek columns. Rubbish chutes descend from 10 storeys up. Almost a year after it was closed for renovations, the Bolshoi looks ready to collapse.

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